I'm one of those weirdo's that wants to model the golden age of railroading which means I have issues finding any models In particular, I'd like some wood passenger car models, but it seems like the only models available (in HO) are some from Con Cor and Roundhouse, of which I'm not too fond of either.
I just stumbled on the La Belle Models web site that features all sorts of actual wood model kits of wooden passenger cars. What bothers me is that the kits are rather pricy and the web site only features CAD drawings of the model kits, not real photos. I can only find the following actual photo of a completed kit (which looks pretty darn nice to me):
Have any of you assembled a La Belle model? Are the worth the cost? What exactly comes in a kit (I.e., are ALL the parts there for a complete car or do I still need to purchase trucks and detail parts?)
Sincerely,Todd M. Taylor The Unofficial $oo Line Diesel Roster
I can't comment on passenger cars, but I've built a few LaBelle freight cars and I love the construction and the results. The kits I've built came with everything except trucks and couplers. I found the instuctions easy to follow, and the construction methods were straight forward, but a little challenging (that's why they call them craftsman kits). I've occasionally looked at a passenger car kit and thought of building one, just for the experience (full size passenger cars are too long for my layout and I have plenty of abbreviated ones). Still, I look at a picture like the one you posted and it makes my mouth water to build one.
By the way, I usually buy my kits second hand at train shows and on eBay. I save a lot of money that way.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Todd M. Taylor What exactly comes in a kit (I.e., are ALL the parts there for a complete car or do I still need to purchase trucks and detail parts?)
What exactly comes in a kit (I.e., are ALL the parts there for a complete car or do I still need to purchase trucks and detail parts?)
According to their website, that car is sold without trucks. couplers, and interior: https://www.labellemodels.com/chapel-p-1219.html?osCsid=4sjnvo89t2tupk4b4kdd4adti5
Unless they have changed the process by which they manufacture their cars (which you could contact them and ask), I would expect that what you get in the kit is a bunch of wood parts plus some detail items, and the kits would need to be constructed similar to the plans shown on the PDF files available on their website. See: https://www.labellemodels.com/passenger-cars-c-43_44_46.html?osCsid=4sjnvo89t2tupk4b4kdd4adti5
They also have a PDF titled "perfect car construction", plus some other hints. See https://www.labellemodels.com/hints-pointers-c-91.html?osCsid=4sjnvo89t2tupk4b4kdd4adti5
Not to put you off, but you didn't say what experience you have with construction of kits of this type. If you have no experience, you might want to start with one of the boxcar kits similar to the one shown in the perfect car PDF.
Regards
Kits like Labelles are how we narrowgaugers got passenger cars before Blackstone came along, if you couldn't afford brass.They seem a little pricey, but they are the real thing in terms of satisfaction and quality. You need to shape the curved roof ends, for instance, on the piece of wood stock provided for the roof.
Since you don't have wood kit experience, I'd agree that starting with something simpler than a passenger car is a good idea. You'll gain confidence and then the passenger cars won't be so intimidating.
Ebay is a good source for older Labelle kits and prices are often very reasonable. However, the company changed hands about a decade ago and the new owner has made a number of improvements to various of the kits since taking over, so buying new guarantees getting the most updated kit available.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Thanks for your input, everyone.
In terms of my own modelling experience, I just finished a Branchline Trains Pullman car model, which is hardly as complicated as a wood kit, but it did have many insanely delicate parts. Now that I think about it, I think I actually did have a La Belle Soo caboose kit when I was a teenager (over 20 years ago)... seeing the boxes for the La Belle kits online reminded me that I did own one at one time. Unfortunately, that was so long ago that I barely remember anything about it! (And I apparently don't have the model any more.)
After looking at the La Belle web site a bit more, I see they do have a photo gallery link off to the right side. Most of the models look really nice.
I will have to scour eBay and the like for these kits, now that I know they exist. What tools should I have in order to do a wood kit? I'm assuming a regular X-Acto knife might not be the best tool for cutting the wood. Perhaps there are some fine wood saws or something like that? It seems that buying the correct tools to assemble models usually cost more than the models ;-)
I really like the idea of modelling using these wood kits so I don't end-up with a "store bought" layout. While I think it's great that today's ready-to-run kits are so highly detailed, part of my brain just thinks, "Ho-hum, another store bought model" when I see a model train that I know I can just go down to my local hobby shop and buy with no assembly required.
Is there anything special required to paint a wood kit versus a plastic kit? Does the wood absorb the paint? I just got an airbrush this year and so far I've been using ModelFlex acrylic paints.
If by "golden age" you mean the 1890's (I've heard the 1920's referred to that way too) the Roundhouse 80' "Pullman Palace" cars are pretty good. Unfortunately they're not available as kits anymore, and you do have to do an interior. Walthers used to make an interior kit with wood seats etc. The Roundhouse 36' boxcars and reefers are nice too, but may be a little more early 20th century than late 19th century. Cyril Durrenburger has had some interesting articles in the Missabe Road Historical Society's "Ore Extra" magazine taking inexpensive train-set quality "old time" plastic RTR cars and adding details and repainting / relettering them to match early D&IR and DM&N prototypes.
Yes, a razor saw and miter box could be handy. But other than that, most hand tools needed are those typically found in the modeller's tool box.
If you want a "varnish"-like finish, then sealing and sanding the wood is typically the one step that's somewhat different than building something other than a wooden kit. If you don't have an airbrush, this may also be a tool that's needed, along with sanding blocks or those new-fangled sanding sticks to sand between coats.
If you're modelling well-worn rolling stock, then the sealing can be omitted. Generally, people recommend solvent-based paints for finishing wood, as it tends to avoid the warpage issue that arises with water-based paints.
I like those LaBelle kits.
I've built a H0n3 combine and now I'm busy with an RPO car. Here's my HowTo for the combine.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
In the time when wood craftsman kits were the standard of quality modeling (eclipsed only by brass, perhaps), LaBelle was the premier name. Ambroid kits were also very good, but for passenger cars LaBelle was (and is) very well respected.
Shaping the ends of the roof is usually seen as the most difficult step in construction of these kits. The key is to proceed VERY slowly and deliberately. If you carve or sand off too much, you can't put it back and the curve is ruined. Sanding very slowly and checking the curve over and over is the way to go.
As far as painting, wood is porous. The varied grain of the scribed siding wood will absorb paint at different rates. LaBelle kits generally use a very good grade of scribed wood, but there is still a possibility that the grain will show through the first coat of any paint. One can either use a primer coat or a light application of your main color first - allow that to dry completely - and then a second coat. While the single coat may create a weathered appearance, that wood grain issue remains and I've found it better to use two coats of paint and then go back and apply light weathering if desired.
Also recall that dried glue does not absorb paint. Careful gluing is important on these kits to keep the glue from spreading out on surfaces that will be painted. The "second coat of paint" process can help to cover problems, but it is better to avoid the problem as the paint almost always appears more glossy on the spots covering glue.
Yes, new X-acto knife blades are required; and changing the blades fairly often will yield better results. Several grades of fine sandpaper should be on hand. The Excel hand-held and spring-loaded little plastic belt sander (I think it is called the "U.F.O.") is VERY handy for shaping small wood parts, and various grades of the sanding belts are available.
While poking around on E-Bay, you might also watch for some of the old Walthers brand passenger car interior kits that fit these cars. There were cast metal seats which had to be painted, but the weight of those seats added to the tracking or stability of the finished car.
And when you finish, keep the instruction page or a similar unfinished kit available. Then you can show visitors to your railroad that "THIS came from that", and they will be amazed. Enjoy.
Bill
La Belle is a good name from the old days. I haven't built a La Belle kit, but I have built a number of Northeastern/Ambroid passenger coach kits, which are built the same way. They make nice models and construction is not unreasonably difficult. There is more to it than a shake-the-box kit, and I might recommend building a box car kit by way of practice before tackling a passenger car.
Traditionally these kits contained all the basswood and soft metal castings required. The user was expected to buy trucks and couplers separately. Central Valley made the trucks, but alas they are no more, and it takes some scrounging to find appropriate trucks now-a-days.
Xacto knife and sandpaper is all you really need to put one together. The Chopper is nice, but not essential. I never used a miter saw setup. The roof ends will come out better if you make a template to guide your carving efforts. Just a piece of heavy cardboard, or plywood, or Masonite, with the desired curve cut into it with coping saw and file. Use of the template helps to get both ends to look the same.
You want to fake up some kind of jig/clamp/vise arrangement to clamp the roof, the floor, and the end blocks together and square them up Use white glue (Elmer's) or yellow carpenters glue for these structural joints. Cellulose cement (Duco) is fine for most joints, but it isn't strong enough to keep the entire car together. White or yellow glue MUST be clamped until dry to develop any strength. The under side of the roof is milled into a semicircular shape which makes squaring up the assembly a little tricky.
Give some thought to when to glaze the windows. Ideally you want to paint the car BEFORE glazing, to keep paint off the "glass". This implies that you paint before putting the roof or the sides on, so you have access to install the glass.
I put a coat of "sanding sealer" on BOTH sides of everything to prevent moisture from pentrating an unfinished side and warping the wood. I use shellac 'cause I usually have it in the shop, it's clear, it dries fast, and doesn't raise the wood grain, much. Other clear sealers are varnish (thinned a good deal), lacquer, and anything labeled "sanding sealer" in the store. Once sealed, any kind of paint (solvent or waterbased) is fine. On a wood model I have had excellent results brush painting. Floquil, at least, will self level and not show any brush marks. I mask the car and give the undercarriage a coat of gray (light or dark, your choice) auto primer, and give the roof a coat of dark gray auto primer. The inside is fairly visible thru the windows, and so needs at least a coat of dark gray, if you are not going to detail the interior. A pretty good interior detail can be had for just adding seats. The only thing that shows thru the coach windows is an ordered row of seat backs. Merely obtaining a L shaped bit of wood (or plastic) and cutting off short lengths to form seats can be very effective.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Wow... thanks for all the great feedback and tips, guys.
I probably would not have thought about the water from acrylic paint possibly warping the model until it was too late! If I apply a sealer to the wood prior to painting with an acrylic, I'm assuming that might fix the warping issue? I'm just not a big fan of enamels due to the smell and they're much harder to clean-up (unless you use smelly, flammable clean-up chemicals).
How might one seal/finish the roof so it doesn't look like wood? Seeing wood grain in the roof (which I'm assuming should be some kind of asphalt sheeting or something?) would look bad in my opinion. Would several coats of paint be enough?
I also appreciate the pointer about giving consideration to when to put in the window film. I could easily see myself assembling and painting the model and then kicking myself when it came time to put in windows.
I'm glad the whole roof end thing was brought-up. I'm pretty sure I could handle the rest of the model, but that part concerns me a bit as I don't really have much experience with shaping wood. Maybe my railroad will just have the ultra rare "square-end roof" passenger cars (not)
I find it ironic that my neighbor is a buyer for Walther's and I keep telling him I'm going to get back into model railroading so he stays employed, but every time I find a model I like (like these La Belle passenger cars), I find that Walther's doesn't stock 'em! If only I could convince my neighbor that old steam is where the real money is at and Walther's should start stocking-up on this stuff (OK, so it would be nice to lie to my neighbor...)
Todd,
David's clarification didn't quite get all the way from my muddled mention of the issues with wood and water-based paints...
As David noted, once the wood is sealed, then you can go with either sort of paint.
If you choose not to seal, then you do want to stick to solvent-based paints, as the wood will otherwise absorb the water and potentially warp.
Shaping the roof end isn't too tricky. Take it slow and frequently compare it to the provided documentation and you'll be OK. The worst that can happen is that you'll may end up buying another piece of roof stock.
BTW, not all roof end profiles were the same. The wood roof stock allows you to shape it according to a specific prototype, if you so choose.
La Belle is the savior to many HOn3 narrow gaugers. La Belle have or have had many unique offerings over the years. I built a number of old wood pullmans from La Belle back in the 70's and 80's for friends and myself when involved with HO.
Now that I am into only HOn3, it is back to Labelle for its realism and to restore my skills at "tough kit building". To do justice to their kits, you have to pour on the hours. The detailing and realism is limited solely by the builder.
Pricey? You bet! All this money for a small heap of wood in tissue paper with instructions in 8 point type. If you go La Belle, you better be a decent modeler who at some time built the old wooden model airplane kits like Jetco and Monogram. As mentioned above, there are tricks, in sealing, forming and painting, but when you are done, you will have a gem.
If you are into the running and not the modeling, then take out you wallet and go with brass or the highest end RTR super detailed cars offered today. It is virtually impossible to demand ultra scale realism with out spending a lot of money or time or both.
Outside of the finest brass cars or the horribly expensive Blackstone ready to runs. La Belle is the best in realistic wood detail possibilities.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
Todd M. Taylor Wow... thanks for all the great feedback and tips, guys. I probably would not have thought about the water from acrylic paint possibly warping the model until it was too late! If I apply a sealer to the wood prior to painting with an acrylic, I'm assuming that might fix the warping issue? I'm just not a big fan of enamels due to the smell and they're much harder to clean-up (unless you use smelly, flammable clean-up chemicals). How might one seal/finish the roof so it doesn't look like wood? Seeing wood grain in the roof (which I'm assuming should be some kind of asphalt sheeting or something?) would look bad in my opinion. Would several coats of paint be enough? I also appreciate the pointer about giving consideration to when to put in the window film. I could easily see myself assembling and painting the model and then kicking myself when it came time to put in windows. I'm glad the whole roof end thing was brought-up. I'm pretty sure I could handle the rest of the model, but that part concerns me a bit as I don't really have much experience with shaping wood. Maybe my railroad will just have the ultra rare "square-end roof" passenger cars (not)
The basswood used in kits like Labelle is extremely fine grained, so fine grained that you cannot see any grain even before painting. Prototype wooden roofs were covered with a layer of canvas and then coated with tar. I find a coat of dark gray auto primer from a rattle can makes a model roof to be proud of. The primer covers anything (puttied over patches, white metal casting, anything) and it dries dead flat and looks exactly like a prototype roof. If you REALLY want to be sure the grain doesn't show (this is overkill IMHO) sand the roof, give it a coat of shellac, and sand it again. Eyeball the wood and if any grain still shows (it won't) give it another coat of shellac and sand it again. Don't add the roof details (vents and stacks and such) until you have finished with the sanding.
Carving the roof ends round ain't all that hard. A nice sharp #11 Xacto blade will slice thru the basswood like it was butter. Use as many visual aids as you can. For instance, draw a pencil line across the roof where the roof curve ought to start. Draw one at each end of the roof. Measure from the end of the roof to your pencil lines to make sure that BOTH lines are the SAME distance from the end of the roof. Every so often place your template up against the curved end to check. Use medium sandpaper (150 grit) to sand out the knife marks and then fine (220 grit) to smooth the roof over all.
narrow gauge nuclear SNIP Outside of the finest brass cars or the horribly expensive Blackstone ready to runs. La Belle is the best in realistic wood detail possibilities. Richard
SNIP
Yes, great value in building kits, been having fun with that myself lately, but from "stock"
I would dispute Blackstone as "horribly expensive" not to start one of those endless rants about how the cost of living is hurting my modelling, but to just keep it in perspective.
I bought a brass Key San Juan set at the NNGC about 15 years ago. 4 cars, $500.
I had to paint, decal, and install couplers and decent free-rollings trucks to get them into action. Mind you, no interiors or glass, which I haven't got around to yet in 10 years since I painted them. So I probably have about $150 into them in dollars that were worth more than they are now.
For less than $100, I can get an outstanding coach, RTR, with glazing, interior, couplers, everything, from Blackstone. True, only coaches available right now, but hey, that's what Labelle or my scratch-building skills will are for.
BTW, that's another good point about Labelle (and Blackstone, too) kits versus brass. They are a whole lot lighter, an important consideration for most narrowgaugers, but of significance to many in standard gauge also.
Having built enough kits in my life, I know what my time's worth and consider Blackstone a great value. I've never begrudged them a dime. And I can see how model railroading can give sticker shock and how hobby budgets vary.
RTR or kits? They're both great and have their place -- and I hope everyone gets to afford at least a little of what they like, which is one of the cool features of this hobby. Quantity has its place, but we all tend to value the quality of our models more than anything else. And we can all afford at least a little quality in this hobby.
I built one of these (HO-2) back when they first came out. I recall it going together quite nicely--no complaints with the kit or the instructions.
I dug it out recently, and I wish I had done sanding/sealing. the surfaces don't look so great just painted. I would imagine that one should do the sealing before assembly to make the sanding easy. Problem there is the sealed parts won't glue together, at least with yellow glue (what I would use). I s'pose you can NOT seal the glueing surfaces. That's what I'd try, anyway. Let's put it this way: I wouldn't build another of these kits without doing the sealing!
I'd sure like to see what these kits would be like if the wood was directly replaced with styrene. It'd glue up just a bit faster, and you wouldn't have to do any sealing.
I used microscope cover slides for windows. They look fantastic. And then you can really see the interior that ya kinda have to do.
Ed
Ah gee, LaBelle kits are great. Built my first on in 1960....wow.... A combine and I used Central Valley's 4-wheel truck set. I used Walthers interior parts (mostly slug metal that "looked" like something) and added other details here and there.
To "fix" the wood before actual cutting and assembly, I coated all the pieces and parts with DEFT...a lacquer based sanding sealer and hit it with very fine grain paper or steel wool.
Though they take time and care to build, these kits are not all that difficult, and even a person without a lot of building experience with wood should be able to build them. For a clearer sense of what that will entail, take a look at this online step by step description (with good photos) of building one:
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=35676&whichpage=1
The hardest part is shaping the end roof curves. But if you buy kits directly from the online LaBelle site, you can order them with pre-shaped roofs.
Good luck building.
FD
Thanks Wolfgang and FD for the links on how to build the models.
Was LaBelle located in Oconomowoc, WI, at one time? While scouring eBay for kits, I came across this:
I ask because I live about 25 minutes from Oconomowoc... it would've been nice to visit the factory! However, judging by the price on that box, I'm guessing this is an ooooooold kit.
Well I'm completely sold on buying a kit, so now I have an even bigger decision to make... which one?!? Living in Wisconsin, I'd like to model something close to what might've been used by one of the many short lines around here before the Milwaukee Road, Chicago & North Western, and Soo Line gobbled all the short lines up. About the only place I've found for somewhat rare photos of old passenger trains in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Historical Society web site, but even they don't have many passenger car photos. The following is a Milwaukee & Northern Railway photo (cs. 1873) from the site that looks like something I'd love to model:
Here's a Milwaukee Road train which looks great, but it appears to have 6-wheel trucks, which would be too big for my yet-to-be-built layout:
I can sort of understand selling a car without couplers, since many modelers change over to Kadees. But why would anyone sell cars without trucks?
My third wood kit (the other two were bridges).Many good suggestions from the previous posts. So here are some similar comments:
--First, this a La Belle kit. Trucks/couplers not included. Kit was $32.75 back in 2009.
-With respect to the drawing/Instructions, some part numbers on the drawing did not match those referenced in the text of the Instructions. Think bottom view is reversed (right-to-left)
-Kit already comes with templates for the roof end compound curves. Roof can be removed.
-Used mostly epoxy and CA adhesives. Used shellac before painting.
-Built fixtures where necessary to align or clamp parts.
-No markings nor passenger seats yet. Needs more work. Took may hours(I'm slow).
Hope this helps.
Jean B.
Your combine looks great, Jean! Do you plan on decalling it for any particular railroad?Speaking of decals, I've noticed that some of the wood kits that have decals applied don't look so hot. It appears like the decals didn't settle into all the ribs in the wood siding. Is that likely because the modeler didn't use a decal setting solution?I'm also curious as to whether or not most decal sets are created to compensate for the ribbed siding. A decal laid-out on a flat, smooth surface will certainly be wider than one that has to follow the curves of a ribbed side. As a result, if the decal isn't created slightly stretched to compensate for the ribs, will it look *squished*? (I hope this makes sense to someone other than me.)
I agree about the trucks; it seems odd that they aren't included. I suppose La Belle doesn't want to get into the business of manufacturing trucks and probably feels it's not worth being "the middle man" to buy trucks from another company only to have some modelers use their own trucks anyway(?)
Yes, indeed, LaBelle did begin in Oconomoc, Wisconsin, many, many years ago. I recall driving down from Appleton, trying to find the factory. For that reason many of their models were based on North Central Midwestern prototypes. As to the passenger cars, I'm not sure of on what they were based. But Gordon Odegard did an article in one of the olf Model Railroader issues ot the 1970s (?) on kitbashing LaBelle cars into an 1890s passenger train. It would be a natural for you, given your interest. Perhaps another forum member can help you locate the precise issue in which it appeared.
The Model Railroad Magazine Index is a very useful tool. Everyone here ought to have it bookmarked in their browser. Then you may be able to track down back issues/photocopies/DVD-ROMs from the various publishers, hunt for issues on eBay, swap meets, hobby shops or other retailers, or a well-stocked local library
A hint for Todd since he is close by, the Milwaukee Public Library in Downtown has pretty much a full collection of Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman...plus mags from the various local railroad historical societies (MILW, C&NW, Soo, TMER&L, North Shore Line, etc.). not to mention all kinds of books). Aside from magazines and books, MPL also has an archive of historic photos (go there for info, then click on "access the index" to download a .doc file of the index). Plus also, MPL is the location of the official Milwaukee Road Archives, which may have photos, drawings, and other documents that could be useful.
The aforementioned Gordon Odegard articles about 1890s Milwaukee Road passenger cars can be found in the November and December 1970 issues (scratchbuilding), plus the February 1971 (kitbashing), and June 1971 (drawings) issues of MR.
Thanks for the tips/links for finding back issues.
I noticed on the O scale page for the LaBelle site, they list many of the passenger cars as being Soo or Milwaukee Road. Assuming the HO scale are just smaller versions of the O scale, that certainly would make it easy for me to decide which ones to get!
I grew-up along along Soo Line tracks (now CN) and actually now live along the same tracks, so the Soo has typically been my favorite. However, now that the Milwaukee Road isn't anything but a memory, I find that it's one of my favorites as well. (Didn't know what we had until it was gone! )
LaBelle as some prototype photos in their gallery... Mostly Milwaukee Road with a Soo Line car:
http://labellemodels.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=333
One thing this pictures show is that the cars actually had a very, very glossy finish where as most of the finished model photos I see have a dull finish. Did the glossy finish not hold-up over time? I thought that railroads typically took good care of their passenger fleets, hence I would think the cars would've stayed pretty shiny?
I sent an email to LaBelle to find-out which railroads each car was modeled after:
Rick Steele - LaBelle Well, let's start with the HO Passenger Kits. HO-1 and HO-2 are Harriman Common Standard Designs. Good for UP, Alton, IC and other Harriman owned Roads. HO-3 is Unknown, probably Harriman as well HO-4 is C&NW HO-5 is MIlwaukee HO-6 is Milwaukee HO-7 is Milwaukee HO-8 is Unknown HO-9 is Unknown HO-10 is C&NW HO-11 and 12 are probably Soo HO-13 is Milwaukee and HO-14 is Soo. Unfortunately, when the original owner designed these kits, he didn't indicate where they came from and I've had to piece stuff together from photos as well. Rick SteeleLaBelle Woodworking Company"Nothing is as Good as Wood" atwww.labellemodels.com
I think Rick may be the third owner. I don't know for sure, but these cars have been around long enough it would surprise me if the original designer is still with us.
Todd M. Taylor Your combine looks great, Jean! Do you plan on decalling it for any particular railroad?Speaking of decals, I've noticed that some of the wood kits that have decals applied don't look so hot. It appears like the decals didn't settle into all the ribs in the wood siding. Is that likely because the modeler didn't use a decal setting solution?
Your combine looks great, Jean! Do you plan on decalling it for any particular railroad?Speaking of decals, I've noticed that some of the wood kits that have decals applied don't look so hot. It appears like the decals didn't settle into all the ribs in the wood siding. Is that likely because the modeler didn't use a decal setting solution?
That, and/or they didn't seal/sand the sides.
I'm also curious as to whether or not most decal sets are created to compensate for the ribbed siding. A decal laid-out on a flat, smooth surface will certainly be wider than one that has to follow the curves of a ribbed side. As a result, if the decal isn't created slightly stretched to compensate for the ribs, will it look *squished*? (I hope this makes sense to someone other than me.)
Some are compensated for the ribs, but then they'll only fit on one model. On those occasions when no one makes the exact "rib-hopping" decal you want, ya dig out a straight edge and razor blade and slice the decal into several pieces. It's fiddly work, but when you do it right, it looks great.
When these kits came out, the best trucks were Central Valley trucks. With a kit this wonderful, most people chose them. They were not low cost. BUT, by not including trucks, they kept the base price (way) down, and also allowed the customer to choose another,perhaps less expensive, truck.
Also, I recall that Labelle noted that, for some cars, you might want to take your choice of 6 or 4-wheel trucks.
Todd M. Taylor Speaking of decals, I've noticed that some of the wood kits that have decals applied don't look so hot. It appears like the decals didn't settle into all the ribs in the wood siding. Is that likely because the modeler didn't use a decal setting solution?I'm also curious as to whether or not most decal sets are created to compensate for the ribbed siding. A decal laid-out on a flat, smooth surface will certainly be wider than one that has to follow the curves of a ribbed side. As a result, if the decal isn't created slightly stretched to compensate for the ribs, will it look *squished*? (I hope this makes sense to someone other than me.) I agree about the trucks; it seems odd that they aren't included. I suppose La Belle doesn't want to get into the business of manufacturing trucks and probably feels it's not worth being "the middle man" to buy trucks from another company only to have some modelers use their own trucks anyway(?)
Speaking of decals, I've noticed that some of the wood kits that have decals applied don't look so hot. It appears like the decals didn't settle into all the ribs in the wood siding. Is that likely because the modeler didn't use a decal setting solution?I'm also curious as to whether or not most decal sets are created to compensate for the ribbed siding. A decal laid-out on a flat, smooth surface will certainly be wider than one that has to follow the curves of a ribbed side. As a result, if the decal isn't created slightly stretched to compensate for the ribs, will it look *squished*? (I hope this makes sense to someone other than me.)
Of the twenty HO scale passenger cars shown, none have ribbed sides, merely scribed siding, so the decal wouldn't be any longer than normally required. The usual practice was to apply the decal, then, once it had dried, use a razor blade to slit it at every groove milled into the siding material. A setting solution was then applied. This looks good from all but the closest views, where the gaps between the "boards" become more obvious. Most real wood cars were sheathed with 5" or 5 1/2" tongue-and-groove boards with edges bevelled on their faces, and a "faux groove" milled down the centre. This gave the appearance of narrower boards but with less labour. The bevelled edges did delineate the individual boards, but not nearly to the degree shown by the model's scribed siding. While I prefer to scratchbuild in styrene, the LaBelle kits can be built into very nice models. It's been indicated that the roofs are removeable, but any kit with a separate roof can be built with the roof removeable: it just requires a little planning.
As mentioned, Central Valley trucks were often the preferred choice for these cars, in both 4- and 6-wheel styles. I have a few pairs left which will be going under wooden (styrene) head-end cars re-built from Rivarossi and Athearn steel Pullmans and coaches.
You can still find MDC Palace car kits at hobby shops and on-line, and they can be turned into nice looking cars.
I do understand the attraction to the LaBelle kits, though.
Wayne
Is this the Central Valley that sells trucks?
http://cvmw.com/
Unfortunately, their web site shows no trucks